Wichita man sentenced for killing ex-girlfriend, ‘new man’ at downtown hotel in 2020
.jpeg "Kyle Del’Shawn Young")
A Wichita man has been ordered to serve two consecutive life prison sentences for a double killing at a downtown hotel four years ago.
Kyle DelShawn Young, 37, pleaded guilty in October to two counts of first-degree premeditated murder in the Jan. 2, 2020, shooting deaths of his ex-girlfriend, 22-year-old Alicia Roman, and 27-year-old George Kirksey at the Hotel at WaterWalk, 711 S. Main. Sedgwick County District Judge Jeffrey Goering sentenced Young on Monday after hearing evidence in the case on two separate days, Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett said in an emailed statement.
“State statute establishes parole eligibility at not less than 50 years. As a result, Mr. Young must serve 100 years before being considered for parole,” Bennett’s statement said.
“When imposing the sentence today, Judge Goering denied the defendant’s request for a downward departure sentence and also denied the defendant’s request that the judge run the counts concurrent.”
Young’s lawyers declined to comment on the sentence.
According to court documents, Young killed Roman and Kirksey because he didn’t like that Roman had moved on from their relationship. A witness told police Young was so upset Roman had “found a new man” that he went to the hotel where they were staying, barged in through an unlocked door and fatally shot them before fleeing. Police found Kirksey’s and Roman’s bodies after responding to a 911 call at 12:19 a.m., court documents say.
A day before the murders, Young held a gun to Roman’s head and choked her as she celebrated the New Year’s holiday with friends in Wichita’s Old Town Entertainment District. Charges associated with those threats were dropped in exchange for pleading guilty to the murders, court records show.
This story was originally published January 8, 2024 at 3:38 PM.
